At 12.45hrs Thursday 12th May Cumbria Police received reports that a male in his fifties had fallen 30ft from Striding Edge and sustained serious leg injuries . Patterdale Mountain rescue was called and the Team Leader initiated an immediate response.

Due to the location and seriousness of the injury, a Coastguard Rescue Helicopter was tasked with winching capabilities form Caernarfon, the Great North air Ambulance was also tasked with immediate medical care on board. Team members were deployed onto the fell and made their way onto Striding Edge and as they were approaching the Red Tarn area the Coastguard arrived was on scene and winched their paramedic down to the casualty site.

The aircraft landed at Red Tarn and flew four team members up onto the ridge with ropes and technical equipment to make the area safe. Due to the steep terrain and the location of the casualty a rope system was set up to haul the casualty back up onto the ridge where he was given medical treatment from the medical teams on scene.

Due to the nature of the injuries the casualty was stabilised and given pain relief before being winched onto the helicopter and flown to a major trauma hospital for further treatment. Team Leader Mike Ripon stated “this was a difficult and technical rescue due to the location and nature of the mans injuries, and our thanks go to the Coastguard and Helimed 58 for their quick response.”

On Tuesday 10th May at 11.45 hrs Cumbria police alerted Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team to reports of four elderly walkers who were doing the coast to coast walk. The party had set off from Patterdale earlier in the day and as they got towards the Knott the weather deteriorated and started raining and low cloud.

One of the four slipped and fell , she was unhurt but felt that it wasn’t safe to carry on due to the conditions. The other lady in the party was also blown off her feet. They rang the Police for advice and the rescue team was called, the duty leader spoke to the walkers and pin-pointed their location with a phone-find.

A limited call out was initiated and 3 team members ascended from the valley bottom to meet up with the group. They were then escorted back to the rescue team Landrover and taken to Patterdale Base where they waited for a taxi to take them to their overnight stay at Shap. This was the second incident within 24 hours where the parties were doing the coast to coast.

Both parties were well equipped for the weather conditions but succumbed to deteriorating conditions on both rescues.

The Team’s 2022 incident attendance register records this callout as “Knee injury Red Tarn Basin”. No further public press-release wording survives in the archive.

The Team’s 2022 incident attendance register records this callout as “Poss search/broken ankle. Dove crag”. No further public press-release wording survives in the archive.

The Team’s 2022 incident attendance register records this callout as “Ankle injury Gowbarrow Fell”. No further public press-release wording survives in the archive.

On Thursday 21 April, volunteers from Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team were called by the North West Ambulance Service to reports of a girl who had fallen off rocks and into Aira Beck, near to Parkgate Farm. When the team arrived at the scene the girl, who had been out walking with friends, was being treated for her injuries by paramedics from the North West Ambulance Service.

Team members assisted with the stretcher extraction from the scene of her fall to the waiting ambulance, from where she was transferred to the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, for further treatment. Thankfully the injuries were of a minor nature and the team wishes her well.